Imagine you’re driving down a winding road late at night. The road signs guide you, the painted lines keep you in check, and the law demands you obey the speed limit. Now, suppose you break the law by speeding and running a red light. The police pull you over. You know you’re guilty. But instead of handing you a fine, the officer says, “You’ve broken the law, but I’m going to show you grace.”
Does that mean the law no longer matters? Of course not! The law is still in place, and it still serves its purpose to keep you safe. Grace doesn’t erase the law; it simply provides mercy, which the law condemns. This, in essence, is the relationship between God’s grace and His law.
The Common Misconception
Many today believe that grace and law are like oil and water that cannot coexist. They turn to Romans 6:14-15, where Paul writes:
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? God forbid!”
Some read this and conclude, “See? We’re not under law anymore! We don’t need to worry about commandments, obedience, or right living. Grace covers everything.” But Paul’s next words strike that idea down immediately: “God forbid!” He wasn’t abolishing the law; he was setting the record straight.
Law Without Grace: A Hopeless Condition
Think of the law as a mirror. When you wake up in the morning, you look into the mirror and see the reality. You’ve got messy hair, sleep in your eyes, and maybe even a bit of drool on your cheek. The mirror shows you the problem, but it doesn’t fix it. It doesn’t reach out with a comb and brush your hair. It doesn’t wash your face. It simply tells the truth.
That’s what God’s law does. Romans 4:15 says, “For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.” In other words, without law, there’s no sin. But since all have sinned (Romans 3:23), the law exposes our need for something greater. It shows us that on our own, we are guilty before God.
Now, imagine if there was only law and no grace. It would be like standing before a judge, guilty of a crime, with no possibility of mercy. That’s a terrifying thought! But this is where grace steps in, not to erase the law, but to provide a way of redemption.
Grace Without Law: Chaos and Meaninglessness
But what if we flip the scenario? What if there was only grace and no law? Imagine a world where there are no traffic laws, no stop signs, no speed limits, no lane dividers. Drivers could do whatever they wanted, and no one could be punished for anything. Sounds like chaos, doesn’t it? Without law, there is no order.
This is why the idea that grace abolishes law makes no sense. If God eliminated the law, then there would be no such thing as sin (1 John 3:4: “Sin is lawlessness”). If there’s no sin, then why would we need grace in the first place? The very fact that grace exists proves that law still matters.
Grace and Law Working Together
Think back to that speeding ticket example. You deserved punishment, but you were shown mercy. Now, does that mean you should go out and break the law again, assuming you’ll always be let off the hook? No! Grace should make you more grateful, more responsible, more eager to obey, not less. Paul affirms this when he writes in Romans 6:12, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.” In other words, grace calls us to live better, not recklessly.
Jesus Himself affirms this balance. In Matthew 5:17, He declares, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Grace is not lawlessness. Rather, it is the very thing that enables us to live according to God’s righteous standard.
The Law of Christ
If grace does not abolish law, then what law are we under? Romans 8:2 calls it “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” James refers to it as “the law of liberty” (James 1:25). This is not the rigid system of the Old Covenant, where sacrifices and rituals were required for atonement. Instead, it is the law written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10), leading us to obey out of love, not fear.
Galatians 6:2 puts it beautifully: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” This is a law driven by grace. It doesn’t diminish obedience, it elevates it. It transforms it from duty into delight.
Conclusion
So, are grace and law mutually exclusive? Not at all. Grace does not erase law; it empowers us to live by it. The law reveals our need for grace, and grace enables us to fulfill the law in the way God intended.
To reject law in favor of grace is like refusing to acknowledge sickness because you’ve been offered medicine. And to cling to law without grace is like diagnosing an illness but refusing the cure. Both are needed, and both are given freely by our loving God.
We are not lawless under grace. Rather, we are called to a higher standard, a life transformed by both truth and mercy. And that, my friends, is the beauty of God’s perfect plan.
So, the next time someone tells you that grace means you can ignore God’s commands, remind them that true grace leads us closer to God, not further from Him.
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